Alright, we at Mad About EPL mostly cover stuff on the Premier League, but Newcastle United’s recent exploits have made us stand up and take notice. Rafa’s side just beat Brighton in what was a late comeback and you wouldn’t argue against the result as the home side never really created anything in the second half and the away side deserved the win on the balance of play.
Mo Diame’s freak goal caught Stockdale off guard and from there on, Newcastle had the impetus to go for the winner which they found via Ayoze Perez’s side-foot finish. The game was between the best offence and the best defence and Newcastle showed that they had enough despite not having their best squad for the game.
Newcastle show they are Premier League worthy
Rafa’s side have played some good football this season but when Brighton took the lead through a Glenn Murray penalty, the Toon army must have had second thoughts. The Seagulls have a stingy defence and the fact that Newcastle had never won a game coming from behind added to the tension. Credit to the team though as they stuck to their task and were always knocking on the door.
The result doesn’t have too much of a bearing on the table considering only two points separate the Magpies from Brighton, but the morale of the teams will be different after that game. With 12 games to go, Newcastle’s come from behind win will make the team believe they can go all the way and reclaim their spot in the Premier League in style by winning the Championship.
This is undoubtedly a tough few weeks for Rafa Benitez as his side will take on playoff sides Huddersfield and Reading in the next eight days or so. The games are all away from home, so there will be some pressure on the team.
Benitez’s side were beaten by David Wagner’s outfit early on in the season and will be keen to exact revenge. They are hitting the right chords but the game will be of a different intensity compared to the one earlier. While Brighton were happy enough to sit deep, Wagner’s side like to play and will offer more of a threat in the final third compared to the Seagulls.
Huddersfield still have a game in hand and should they win that, the gap will be marginal if they managed to do the double over Newcastle. That’ll also throw the whole two-horse race out of the picture, so you can pretty much see what’s at stake in the coming weeks.
Nevertheless, if Rafa’s side play with the determination and steel that they showed a few minutes earlier, they should be fine and make the Premier League next season.
